After the introduction, which dwells on the relation between corporeality and spirituality, the first chapter explores how the significance of corporeality for the individual is illustrated in Woolf’s novels Mrs Dalloway and The Waves as well as in her theoretical writing. Thereby, similarities between Woolf’s writing and Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception are pointed out.
Chapter two examines to what extent Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection as described in Powers of Horror is applicable to Woolf’s novels. The characters’ attitudes towards sexuality, food, illness and death are analysed.
Chapter three focuses on the social and linguistic difficulties which need to be overcome in order to write about corporeality. Woolf’s narrative craft is analysed and briefly compared to James Joyce’s writing style in Ulysses.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Corporeality and Spirituality
The Significance of Corporeality for the Individual
The Social Meaning of Corporeality
Corporeality and Language
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This thesis examines the representation of the human body in Virginia Woolf's major novels, specifically Mrs Dalloway and The Waves, by analyzing the tension between corporeality and spirituality. It explores how Woolf's characters grapple with their physical identities, the social perceptions of the body, and the challenges of articulating these corporeal experiences through modernist narrative techniques, drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Julia Kristeva and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
- The role of the body in individual perception and identity formation.
- The social constitution of the body and the phenomenon of abjection.
- The interplay between mental states and physical existence in modernist literature.
- Woolf’s critique of social boundaries and gendered perceptions of the body.
- The linguistic difficulties inherent in writing about the physical self.
Excerpt from the Book
The Significance of Corporeality for the Individual
The philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty states in his work of 1962, Phenomenology of Perception: ‘The body is the vehicle of being in the world, and having a body is, for a living creature, to be involved in a definite environment’. He notes that the body is the connection to the world; only through the senses, one is able to perceive the environment, and only with the help of the body, communication with other people is possible. Yet in order to make sense of a perceived object, one must know the meaning of surrounding objects, in other words meaning is assigned on the basis of already existing meaning. ‘[T]he inner horizon of an object cannot become an object without the surrounding objects’ becoming a horizon’. The surrounding objects constitute the context for the determination of the perceived object. The process of assigning meaning usually takes place immediately and, thereby, refutes the Cartesian dualism since the mind directly intervenes in the perception process; body and mind are not separate spheres as Descartes claims.
Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception was published approximately two decades after Virginia Woolf died. Nonetheless, Woolf was aware of the fact that perception and the assigning of meaning are closely related, and she illustrates this in Mrs Dalloway: ‘The sound of an aeroplane bored ominously into the ears of the crowd. There it was coming over the trees, letting out white smoke from behind, which curled and twisted, actually writing something! Making letters in the sky’. The crowd still associates planes with the air bombing during the First World War and fears to be attacked. This fear is expressed in the word ‘ominously’. Yet the white smoke reminds the reader of a white flag and, indeed, the plane comes in peace. The smoke is instantly interpreted as a message, which is illustrated by the exclamation mark. Furthermore, the exclamation ‘writing something’ is paraphrased and repeated. This repetition with regard to content reveals the conviction of the crowd that the smoke is really a message. The persistence of this interpretation becomes apparent when the crowd does not stop trying to decipher the message although no unambiguous letters can be identified.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Corporeality and Spirituality: This chapter establishes the Cartesian division between mind and body and outlines the thesis's focus on Woolf's literary exploration of the physical self.
The Significance of Corporeality for the Individual: This section utilizes Merleau-Ponty's theories to analyze how characters in Mrs Dalloway and The Waves perceive the world and construct their identities through their bodily experiences.
The Social Meaning of Corporeality: This chapter applies Kristeva’s theory of abjection to examine how social norms surrounding the body, motherhood, and illness influence the characters' self-perception and psychological state.
Corporeality and Language: This section discusses the inherent difficulty in using language to describe physical reality and compares Woolf’s narrative approach to that of James Joyce.
Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the findings, asserting that Woolf successfully illustrates the inseparability of body and mind despite the challenges of the literary medium.
Keywords
Virginia Woolf, Corporeality, Abjection, Mrs Dalloway, The Waves, Julia Kristeva, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Identity, Modernism, Perception, Spirituality, Gender, Body, Anorexia, Narrative Technique
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on how Virginia Woolf represents the human body and physical experience in her writing, challenging the traditional separation between the mind and the physical self.
Which novels are central to the analysis?
The primary texts analyzed are Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway and The Waves.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The goal is to demonstrate that Woolf recognizes the body as central to individual identity and to analyze how she portrays the social and linguistic struggles of representing this corporeality.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied?
The author primarily employs Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection and Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological perspective on the body's role in perception.
What topics are covered in the main body of the text?
The main body covers individual perception, the social meaning of the body, personal identity, the impact of illness and age, and the challenges of articulating physical states through modernist narrative devices.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Corporeality, Abjection, Identity, Modernism, Perception, and the specific works of Virginia Woolf and Julia Kristeva.
How does Woolf's narrative style handle the body?
The thesis argues that Woolf uses specific narrative techniques and metaphors to express the physical nature of her characters, even while the characters themselves may feel detached from their bodies.
Does the author compare Woolf to other writers?
Yes, the author specifically contrasts Woolf’s narrative approach to physical reality with the writing style of James Joyce, particularly in Ulysses.
What is the author's conclusion regarding body and mind?
The author concludes that body and mind are inseparable and that Woolf's literature ultimately emphasizes this unity despite the societal tendencies to separate them.
- Quote paper
- Master of Arts (MA) Saskia Bachner (Author), 2009, ‘Burning in this Clumsy, this Ill-fitting Body’. Corporeality in Virginia Woolf's Writing, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/351202
